Kursk play balance

[Lethal]

Played a number of Kursk scenarios (H2H) as the Soviet player and am still working towards a winning strategy!  However, I'm not saying it is unbalanced, etc, just that I am not applying the correct strategy at the moment.  So my thoughts on playing Soviet are just that. 

Generally, it appears that the Soviets are on the defensive early, which makes sense given it is a Kursk game!

The first trick I think is to save units from impossible situations or locations that can be surrounded.  As you would all be aware, once isolated it is only a matter of time before elimination.

Trade units/ground for time as sparingly as you can.  Often you can find yourself "in-the-game" in the first half only to totally collapse in the second half if you loose too many troops.

Use terrain to your best defensive advantage.  Engineers should only be digging-in in key areas and then released for other fortification construction.  Don't loose your engineers!

Victory locations may have to be abandoned/ token defence early so that you can build a force for a last quarter counter-attack.

Spread the Germans as much as possible so you can try for localised superiority.

Counter attack when an encirclement is possible.

In the first half of the game the German player can take what terrain he wants given time.  Battle it out to delay but not to the last man.

Just a couple of thoughts.  Being on defence is more difficult IMHO than on offense but being strategy gamers we love a challenge.  Perhaps not as attractive as being on the offense but I think it offers many possibilities and different strategies to apply given the factors presented in the scenario.